About storytelling in Michigan or including Michigan storytellers. This includes links to find local Michigan, regional, & national storytelling organizations. Other issues of interest to lovers of storytelling in Michigan also are found here. Be sure to visit the Bulletin Board page for the latest information.
An important part of this website is the regular posting & archiving of issues of the email newsletter, "MI Story."

The adult & teen public is invited to Delta
College’s “Global Awareness Program.”
A week of performing arts events and lectures are free to the public including classroom
storytelling by Eileen DeLorenzo and a performance of “Blarney and Beyond” by Yvonne Healy followed by a Q&A in the
Lecture Theater in G Wing.Delta
College, South Campus Road, University Center, MI.Info:http://www.delta.edu/gap.aspx

April
11, Ann Arbor 8:00 pm

Michigan has so many great storytellers that the
Moth Grand Slam comes to the Ark, 316 S. Main Street. Winners of the past 10
monthly story slams in Detroit and Ann Arbor tell new stories on theme to be
announced. Get your ticket ASAP at www.theMoth.org.

April
12, Detroit 7:00 pm

Doors open at 4:00 pm for the monthly Moth Story
Slam located at the bar Cliff Bell’s 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit thanks to WDET
101.9. Prepare a 5 minute story on the theme, toss your name in the hat, and if
your name is pulled, step up and tell your true personal story live without
notes.Volunteers from the audience
judge the stories. Note: adults only. Info:www.theMoth.org
Language and topics are often unsuitable for children. This month’s theme is
“Silver Lining.”

April
17, Ann Arbor 7:30 pm

Doors open at 6:00 for the monthly Moth Story Slam
located at the bar Circus at 210 S. First Avenue, thanks to Michigan Public
Radio. Prepare a 5 minute story on the theme, toss your name in the hat, and if
your name is pulled, step up and tell your true personal story live without
notes.Volunteers from the audience
judge the stories. Info:www.theMoth.org
Note: adults only. Language and
topics are often unsuitable for children.This month’s theme is “Competition”

April
21, Ann Arbor 7:30 pm

“Drop the Knife: A Memoir-in-Song & Spoken
Word” with Jeanne Mackey and friends will be presented at Washtenaw Community
College's College Theatre, Crane Liberal Arts Building. 4800 E. Huron River Drive,
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-4800. Tickets are $15 ($10 students/seniors), available at
the door and at BrownPaperTickets.com.Info:http://www.umich.edu/~mackeyj

April
26-29, Lake Geneva, WI

Have fun, improve skills and celebrate the 30th
Annual Northlands Storytelling Conference. Workshops, slams, concerts and good
times feature the best in storytelling in the Midwest and nationwide.Presenters listed at http://northlands.net.Michigan is well-represented by Judy Sima,
Barb Schutzgruber, Allison Downey, Karen Czarnik, Jeff Doyle. Register at www.northlands.net

MAY 2012

May 3, Detroit 7:00 pm

Doors open at 4:00 pm for the monthly
Moth Story Slam located at the bar Cliff Bell’s 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit
thanks to WDET 101.9. Prepare a 5 minute story on the theme, toss your name in
the hat, and if your name is pulled, step up and tell your true personal story
live without notes.Volunteers from the
audience judge the stories. Note: adults only. Info:www.theMoth.org Language and topics are often unsuitable for children. This
month’s theme is “Mothers”

Free public
concert with Michigan’s own Yvonne Healy at Jackson Symphony Hall, You +1'd this publicly. Undo

215 W. Michigan
Ave.

·May 5, Jackson 7:00 pm

Adults and teens
are invited to a free concert with either Jay O’Callahan or Donald Davis storyteller
at Jackson High School, 544 Wildwood Ave.

May
15, Ann Arbor 7:30 pm

Doors open at 6:00 for the monthly Moth Story Slam
located at the bar Circus at 210 S. First Avenue, thanks to Michigan Public
Radio. Prepare a 5 minute story on the theme, toss your name in the hat, and if
your name is pulled, step up and tell your true personal story live without
notes.Volunteers from the audience judge
the stories. Info:www.theMoth.org
Note: adults only. Language and
topics are often unsuitable for children.This month’s theme is “Decadence”

Doors open at 4:00 pm for the monthly
Moth Story Slam located at the bar Cliff Bell’s 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit
thanks to WDET 101.9. Prepare a 5 minute story on the theme, toss your name in
the hat, and if your name is pulled, step up and tell your true personal story
live without notes.Volunteers from the
audience judge the stories. Note: adults only. Info:www.theMoth.org Language and topics are often unsuitable for children. This
month’s theme is “Retaliation”

Doors open at 6:00 for the monthly
Moth Story Slam located at the bar Circus at 210 S. First Avenue, thanks to
Michigan Public Radio. Prepare a 5 minute story on the theme, toss your name in
the hat, and if your name is pulled, step up and tell your true personal story
live without notes.Volunteers from the
audience judge the stories. Info:www.theMoth.org
Note: adults only.
Language and topics are often unsuitable for children.This month’s theme is
“Education”

June 28, Ann Arbor 8:00 pm

The Moth Mainstage returns to the Ann
Arbor Summer Festival thanks to Michigan Radio and the Festival. Presented at
the Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty St., the theme isi “Under the Influence:
Stories that Shape and Shake Us.”Info: www.theMoth.org and www.AnnArborSummerFestival.org

June 28-July 1, Cincinnatti, OH

Rare chance to enjoy the National
Storytelling Conference! This year only, it’s in our own backyard. You’re
guaranteed a memorable time whether you love listening to stories or telling
them. Checkout the inexpensive Performances Only registration with
entertainment morning to midnight in showcases, swaps, open mics, and fringes.
Or learn new techniques and applications by taking workshops with the Full
registration. Go whole hog and add on preconference Intensives & Master
Classes. Stay at the conference hotel if you wish or stay nearby.SENIOR Discount & STUDENT Discounts
available.Info:www.StoryNet.org

WELCOME!

Here you will find information about storytelling in Michigan or including Michigan storytellers. This includes links to find local Michigan storytelling, national, & regional organizations. Other issues of interest to lovers of storytelling in Michigan also are found here. Be sure to visit theBulletin Board page for the latest information.

An important part of this website is the regular posting & archiving of issues of MI Story. MI Story is published by: Yvonne Healy, Editor-in-Chief; Judy Sima, Distribution Editor; Lois Sprengnether Keel, Webmaster.

To view the current issue or a past issue of MI Story, click on the Recent Posts of interest.

51% or greater Spoken Word/Narrative;

open to the General Public;

feature either Michigan storyteller or Michigan location.

Search This Site

Transition of MI Story Archive

This site has moved to Blogger while keeping the domain name of http://www.michiganstorytelling.org . Because all issues prior to this move were added at one time, the listing of the first two years' issues is misleading. To find each individual month for those initial two years, look under April, 2010.

About Me

For the best overview of my work, go to my website at http://www.LoiS-sez.com, however you will find me in many places beyond that!

My storytelling takes you Around the World & Back Through Time with folktales to match your topic or historical reenactments. While most of my storytelling has been in Michigan, I've told in other states, the territory of Puerto Rico, plus Canada, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, & St. Kitts. My Theatre undergraduate degree influences my storytelling & graduate degree in Library Science leads me to research widely. Starting in 1970, I've years of storytelling experience. Until 2006, this was combined with librarianship. That year I was accepted into the MI performing arts touring directory & left Mount Clemens Public Library (where I was in charge of Children's Services) for full-time storytelling. My current listing with MI Arts & Humanities Directory was renewed & runs through 2018. My passion for supporting storytelling includes storytelling organizations, hosting http://MichiganStorytelling.org & founded Mt.C. Raconteurs & North Oakland County Storytellers, serving their 1st 2 yrs. as president. I was also a long-time active member of Flint Area Story Tellers. FAST and the Raconteurs are currently dormant. I also love to teach storytelling. I believe exposure to storytelling is critical to the acceptance of this art & foundational to language skills. Online I am an assistant administrator for the international network of storytellers at http://professionalstoryteller.ning.com. I'm the National Storytelling Network's Michigan State Liaison and for many years was on the Board of Youth, Educators, Storytellers (Y.E.S.!) Alliance as their webmaster. I also am a certified WordWeaving instructor, a teaching method especially suited to teachers & librarians, but useful for any beginning storytellers. I've training from V.S.A. Arts & have done both residency & special event work for this organization focused on bringing the arts to the disabled. I wrote a portion of the book, Tell the World; Storytelling Across Language Barriers, compiled & edited by Margaret Read MacDonald. My chapter was about telling with Sign Language.

Besides my website there's my blog of research topics related to my work at Storytelling + Research = LoiS and now includes a Civil War Sesquicentennial blog, Michigan's "Fighting Fifth" Infantry, where I posted the newspaper articles about this regiment which has been little documented, but was part of the reason Abraham Lincoln said "Thank God for Michigan!" as they engaged in most major battles of the Civil War. I hope you visit both the blog and my website, http://www.LoiS-sez.com.